One block of the main thoroughfare in Columbia, Pennsylvania was cordoned off to accommodate vendors and information tables on a lovely Saturday in September. It was the first annual Albatwitch Festival organized by Rick Fisher, owner of the National Museum of Mysteries and Research Center in Columbia. The community event featured kids’ games, food, local bands, an open house at the museum, and lectures at the Columbia Historical Society - all for free. Every historic town these days seems to have a ghost tour; Columbia is no exception. An evening walking ghost tour of the town required purchased tickets.

What caught the eye of the media (and piqued my own interest) was the mascot of this event - the small Bigfoot-like creature called the Albatwitch (“alba-twitch”).

On the outskirts of Columbia, a small historic town on the banks of the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, is a scenic rock outcrop called Chickies Rock. Chickies Rock, likely considered a special place by the native Susquehannock people, has a reputation for being haunted. Local lore tells of an ape-like creature that hid in the forest, but would steal apples from picnickers and throw the cores back at them. The albatwitch is an obscure legend. Even as well-versed in cryptozoological creatures as I am, I had not heard of it. But I have heard of these town festivals designed to highlight some local mystery or monster and draw tourists for the weekend.I was eager to see what the Albatwitch festival was about and to meet its founder, paranormal researcher, Rick Fisher. Rick gave a talk on “Mysterious Creatures” at the charming historical society mansion around the corner from the festival events. As the band played, about 50 attendees joined Rick for his presentation. Stories are the foundation of paranormal belief. Sound evidence beyond these anecdotes is almost universally lacking for the claims, but most people find the stories fascinating (and enough to support belief in their reality). Rick had some stories to tell - good ones that I’d not heard before. He talked of his own early morning encounter with a thin, hair-covered, bipedal creature walking along a local road. Then he described how another individual had noted a similar, independent encounter. The audience eagerly absorbed and were greatly affected by the stories. As is typical of such events, many also wanted to share their own ghost and monster stories, making them as impressive as possible. Having listened to hundreds of paranormal investigators lecture, and usually being less than impressed, I liked Rick’s approach. There were several time where he stated he could not vouch for the accuracy of these stories and he would not conclude that the cause was paranormal, but in some cases, he was left without any solid solution. However, he seemed perfectly at ease with proclaiming, “I don’t know,” and leaving it at that. We often do not have enough information and details to soundly conclude what happened to a person who reports such an encounter. All we can rightfully say is “I don’t know”.

Rick also told of the sightings of unexplained creatures around Chickies Rock. While apple snitchers are no longer reported in this area, I’d bet ghost hunters still seek out Chickies Rock as a spook spot.

Photo by visitpadutchcountry.com

After this lecture, I walked a block to Rick’s museum which offered free admission for the day. The museum’s large corner business space was well-stocked with pop culture paranormal-themed items and historic memorabilia. There were magazine and tabloids, displays of monster-themed toys and games, really awesome Fortean trading cards, pieces of the collapsed Point Pleasant bridge famous in the tale of the Mothman of West Virginia. There were examples of ghost hunting equipment, photographs, and news clippings. An entire wall was taken up with shelves of books and journals on paranormal topics. I smiled as I told one of the volunteers how impressed I was with the literature collection. There were comfy chairs for those who wished to browse the books. I loved the museum. You did not have to be a believer in the paranormal to enjoy the Americana items all through the place. The paranormal is normal these days in society, no matter what you think about it. There is much value in the sociology of paranormal belief. That’s why I was here at the Albatwitch festival and looking to talk to Rick Fisher.

GI Joe spars with the Yeti of incorrect pelage. (From the collection of Rick Fisher.)

Library at the National Museum of Mysteries

I found Rick selling his books at a table in the festival area. He had heard of me through a mutual acquaintance and we had a nice conversation. I offered to help him in any cases that come up where he may need assistance. He asked if I would like to be a speaker at the festival next year and I agreed. (I’m thinking my talk will be on the topic of why people believe weird things.)I’ve long advocated that if you are skeptical but interested in paranormal topics, you MUST attend these types of events, conferences and presentations. You MUST see what is said and how it is presented and you MUST take note of how seriously the audiences takes these subjects. The attendees are not stupid or gullible. They are human, influenced by the stories of other humans - that’s a main way we communicate information and how we learn.

Many other communities hold paranormal-themed festivals. Here are a few examples:

Champ Day - Moriah, NY The celebration of Champ, the Lake Champlain monster, continued in late summer 2014 after a year off due to flood damage.

California Bigfoot Festival - Willow Creek A Bigfoot parade is the highlight of this Labor Day weekend in the town were the famous monster gained his notoriety.

Honobia Bigfoot Festival - Honobia, OK The October festival had a projected attendance of 2500 and included a conference on Bigfoot topics.

Mothman Festival - Point Pleasant, WV 2014 was the 13th year of this event that features paranormal speakers and draws about 4000 people to the small town.

Flatwoods Monster (Green Monster) Festival - Flatwoods, WV The festival used to commemorate the strange event that took place near the town but it later morphed into the Mountain Lake Festival that took place last in 2012.

Manipogo Festival - Manitoba, Canada This event features ice fishing demonstrations at the end of the season. Look out for the monster of the lake.

Silver Lake Serpent Festival - Silver Lake, NY Previously an annual event, it was lately accepted that the serpent was a hoax. The event has been discontinued.

Van Meter Visitor Festival - near Des Moines, Iowa Just launched in 2013, the event celebrates the history of Van Meter including the strange creature seen there once. The legend is said to be instrumental in pushing forward the long-delayed formation of the Van Meter Historical Society.

Roswell UFO Festival - Roswell, NM Probably the biggest town-sponsored festival in the U.S with three days each July of events in the town that completely banks on the saucer crash myth.

I suspect that many other towns will seek to take advantage of monsters and myths to draw tourists, as towns like Roswell, Salem, Gettysburg and New Orleans already do year-round. Is this a good thing? Sure, as long as you don’t allow the ghosts, lake monsters, alien visitors, and hairy creatures in the woods to overshadow the documented history and importance of the town. Some long-time residents aren’t too keen on making their community a tourist trap full of silly kitschy shops that attract rowdy campers or partiers just out for a thrill. Many businesses welcome the extra income.If the associated woo-woo doesn’t get too overwhelming, and you don’t take it seriously, the local paranormal-themed festival is some lighthearted fun that gives each location a unique sense of place and character — as long as the community doesn’t invest too much into the reality of such events. That’s another story.

Sharon Hill, P.G., EdM, is a geologist with a specialty in science and society and public outreach for science. She is the creator and editor of the unique critical thinking blog DoubtfulNews.com and researches, writes and speaks about the paranormal, monsters and natural phenomena for various publications including Skeptical Inquirer and Fortean Times.

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